TY - JOUR
T1 - MRI study of human brain exposed to weak direct current stimulation of the frontal cortex
AU - Nitsche, M. A.
AU - Niehaus, L.
AU - Hoffmann, K. T.
AU - Hengst, S.
AU - Liebetanz, D.
AU - Paulus, W.
AU - Meyer, B. U.
PY - 2004/10
Y1 - 2004/10
N2 - Objective: To determine whether weak transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which is an interesting new tool inducing prolonged cortical excitability shifts in humans, induces brain edema, disturbance of the blood-brain barrier or structural alterations of the brain detectable by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: In 10 healthy individuals, tDCS, which is known to alter cortical excitability for about 1 h, was applied over motor and pre-frontal cortices. Contrast-enhanced T1-, T2-, and diffusion-weighted MRI was performed immediately before, 30 and 60 min after tDCS. Results: MRI performed 30 and 60 min after tDCS did not show pathological signal alterations in pre- and post-contrast-enhanced T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted MR sequences. Conclusions: tDCS protocols which are known to result in cortical excitability changes persisting for an hour after stimulation do not induce brain edema or alterations of the blood-brain barrier or cerebral tissue detectable by MRI. Significance: These results deliver further evidence for the safety of the currently applied tDCS protocols in humans.
AB - Objective: To determine whether weak transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which is an interesting new tool inducing prolonged cortical excitability shifts in humans, induces brain edema, disturbance of the blood-brain barrier or structural alterations of the brain detectable by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: In 10 healthy individuals, tDCS, which is known to alter cortical excitability for about 1 h, was applied over motor and pre-frontal cortices. Contrast-enhanced T1-, T2-, and diffusion-weighted MRI was performed immediately before, 30 and 60 min after tDCS. Results: MRI performed 30 and 60 min after tDCS did not show pathological signal alterations in pre- and post-contrast-enhanced T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted MR sequences. Conclusions: tDCS protocols which are known to result in cortical excitability changes persisting for an hour after stimulation do not induce brain edema or alterations of the blood-brain barrier or cerebral tissue detectable by MRI. Significance: These results deliver further evidence for the safety of the currently applied tDCS protocols in humans.
KW - Diffiusion-weighted imaging
KW - Human
KW - Magnetic resonance tomography
KW - Neuroplasticity
KW - Safety
KW - Transcranial direct current stimulation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=4444266604&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.clinph.2004.05.001
DO - 10.1016/j.clinph.2004.05.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 15351385
AN - SCOPUS:4444266604
SN - 1388-2457
VL - 115
SP - 2419
EP - 2423
JO - Clinical Neurophysiology
JF - Clinical Neurophysiology
IS - 10
ER -